THANK YOU!!!

Thank you to all of the students who volunteered at the Purim Carnival, you did a great job.  I have worked with our sixth grade students in the past, but this year's  group was extraordinary.  All of you supervised your stations appropriately, engaged our younger students, helped each child feel good about themselves, and you made everyone feel comfortable in our Shul.   You were a true benefit, and I am proud to say you were students in Kitah Vav!  Yasher Koach on a job well done, you should be very proud of yourselves. 

DON'T FORGET!
Sunday, Marcy 27, 2011 - Field Trip to Ira Kaufman Funeral Home  
Meet in the Lobby of the Shul at 9:30am
Bring a signed permission slip
Bring a parent to accompany you or...
Make arrangements to carpool with a friend


NO CLASS  - SPRING BREAK
Sunday, April 3, 2011  through April 10, 2011

SAVE THE DATE

SIXTH GRADE FAMILY ED TEFILLIN PROGRAM
Sunday, April 17, 2011.
More Info to Follow

PURIM COMMANDMENTS

THE FOUR COMMANDMENTS OF PURIM

The celebration of Purim allows children to associate Judaism with joy and celebration. They feel bonded to a people and community who know how to laugh and love their tradition enough to play with it and enjoy it.   

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1.  The Reading of the Megillah

On Purim it is a mitzvah to hear the Megillah, the Book of Esther, read aloud. Purim’s festivities center on this reading.   The actual story of the Megillah is one of straightforward idealism. Its message for us and for our children is that every Jew can be a hero and that individuals can make a difference. Attending a Megillah reading and discussing the story of Esther with children can help to foster a sense of self-worth and provide a role model for every would-be hero. 

2.  Giving Shalach Manot, Gifts of Food

Giving Shalach Manot reminds us that being a Jew means being part of the community and sharing celebrations with friends. Giving Shalach Manot is a simple mitzvah. It is just a matter of giving a gift of two or more kinds of food to the people important in your family’s life. Shalach Manot may typically include hamantashen , three-cornered cookies named after Haman, fruit, and candy.

3.  Giving Matanot la-Evyonim, Gifts to the Poor

In the Jewish tradition, every act of celebration, every moment of significance, and every formal gathering includes an opportunity for giving tzedakah. Tzedakah, comes from the Hebrew word meaning justice, and is the obligation to help those who are in need by sharing part of the wealth we are fortunate enough to have. 

4.  Celebrate and Be Happy

On Purim, it is a mitzvah to celebrate and be happy. Parties, special meals, hamantashen, costumes, carnivals, plays and sounding graggers are all part of the Purim festival. It is even a mitzvah to get drunk with gladness.

PURIM

The core curriculum in our Tuesday afternoon class reinforces the concept that each of us has a direct responsibility to care for the world through building a relationship with GOD, ourselves, and the community. To  further emphasize the importance of working to build these relationships through acts of kindness, we will be making Mishlach Manot, baskets of food for people in our community to fulfill  one of the commandments of the Purim celebration. 

In addition to making these gifts of food, students are encouraged to donate money to the poor, hear the megillah being read aloud, and celebrate at a Purim Seudah.  By participating in this wonderful act of giving, and attending the Purim Extravaganza on Saturday evening, March 19, and  Sunday morning, March 20, Kitah Vav students with fulfill the observance of all four of these mitzvot, and begin their pre B'nai Mitzvah journey into Jewish adulthood.

Please send in two regular size packages, or one COSTCO size bag or box of Kosher treats, candy, snacks, crackers, granola bars, raisins, or fruit snacks, on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 to help make these Mishlach Manot packages. 

Thank you in advance for your kind and generous donations.

FIELD TRIP

As the end of the year quickly approaches, we are preparing for units on Purim, Passover,  and Shavuot observances, and the Jewish traditions, laws, and customs concerning dating, marriage, divorce, death and dying.

Our Life Cycle Unit on Death and Dying will begin on Sunday, March 13, 2011, and will commence on Sunday, March 27, 2011 with our Family Education Trip to the Ira Kaufman Funeral Chapel. Please plan on joining us as we take a behind the scenes tour, ask questions, and learn about traditional Jewish burial customs.

In past years, this topic has been quite interesting for the students, as they seem to have many questions concerning this often taboo subject. The unit is taught in a sensitive, safe, and non-threatening manner, but may be an uncomfortable topic for some students. Please take a few minutes to discuss the curriculum with your children and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Tzedakah Experience Update

Making a Difference... Together!

Our Connections

We have been talking about the importance of building strong connections to GOD, the community, and ourselves,  and this week we continued the discussion.  Our Chai curriculum lesson introduced the idea of Gemilut Chasidim and Tikkun Olam, acts of kindness and taking care of the world as ways to build these relationships.  Students were asked to think about all of the world problems and then they were asked to help identify which of these global issues were also Jewish concerns.  Surprisingly, every world issue they listed had a Jewish value connected to it.  We spent the afternoon talking about how brilliant our ancient teachers were when thinking about the work each of us must do to build our relationships with GOD, our community, and ourselves, and what each of us can do, however small, to begin repairing the world through acts of kindness.  

Thank you to the families who attended Shabbat School.  We appreciate the message you send to your children when you encourage their participation in our Shabbat experience, and Mazal Tov to our students for  the beautiful chanting of the Amidah.   

Sunday, February 13, 2011 - Community Wide Tzedakkah Fair -  All students meet at Temple Israel. 

Tu B'Shevat This and That

In our Tuesday afternoon class we have shifted our weekly Chai lessons from Avodah to Gemilut Chasidim.  Our weekly discussions give students the opportunity to explore the  many ways they can connect to GOD, community and themselves through the work of Torah study.  This month our discussions will center around the connections we make through  improving the world, ourselves, and our community with acts of kindness. 

On Tuesday, we began to explore the Jewish value of Bal Tashchit, the Jewish value stressing the importance of not wasting. The purpose of this mitzvah is to teach us to love that which is good and worthwhile and to cling to it, so that good becomes a part of us and we will avoid all that is evil and destructive. 

To reinforce the value of  loving the resources GOD created for us, and to celebrate Tu B'Shevat, the birthday of the trees in Israel, we sat together and learned about the seven species mentioned in the Torah as the original foods of the land of Israel, and tasted many of the fresh fruits grown in the Jewish holy land.  We sang, prayed, ate, learned, and celebrated together, and had a wonderful afternoon.  

On Sundays, we are beginning our B'nai Mitzvah  unit, and students will begin exploring the many facets of beginning their Jewish Journey into adulthood.  If your child knows their B'nai Mitzvah date, please have them bring it to class with them on Sunday, and we will locate their parsha.  Our unit will commence with each student writing a mini d'var torah, where they will have the opportunity to explore their Torah portion in detail.  

DON'T FORGET....

Tzedakkah Experience on Sunday,  February 13, 2011.  
Meet at Temple Israel at 10am.